The Ride1Up 700 Series ST E-Bike Packs Premium Features At A Budget Price — CleanTechnica Review

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E-bikes priced around the critical $1,500 price point are a dime a dozen, with a wide range of features and form factors. Most of the value e-bikes around this popular price point come with a relatively standard set of components, battery capacities, motor power, and even the seats.

The Ride1Up e-bike changes the game, bringing components that would normally command a much higher price point on an attractive step-through frame finished off with a slick matte paint job. We reached out to the company to see if we could get our hands on one to see if the bike lived up to the spec sheet.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike
Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through, image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Disclaimer: Ride1Up provided a 700 Series Step-Through to the author free of charge for the purposes of this review.

Right out of the gate, the Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike stands out with its uber-functional oversized step-through frame and premium components that make the bike feel like it should have been more expensive. At $1,595, the 700 Series ST slots right into the center of the Ride1Up e-bike lineup, with more expensive trims sporting better components above and a handful of lower priced options below for those looking for a more value-oriented e-bike.

Ride1Up sent us the 700 Series Step-Through in matte gunmetal grey, but it’s also available in steel. The matte paint gives the bikes a slick modern look and feels nice to the touch. The oversized down tube on the Step-Through covered in matte grey and black paint are reminiscent of the primer grey paint used on many home grown hot rods with the shiny black decals pulling the bike into the modern age.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

That downtube is also home to the removable 14 Ah, 672 Wh Reention Rhino battery. This pack is built with Samsung cells, so you can rest assured knowing you’ll get a long life out of it. As a removable pack, owners have the option to purchase an additional pack from Ride1Up for $539 for even more flexibility.

Just a few years ago, these replacement packs were setting buyers back $600 to $700. With the reduction in battery cell prices in recent years, they’re now much more affordable, enabling far more interesting use cases for electric bikes at a significantly lower prices.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Hopping onto the bike, we took it out for our standard 20-mile review route and right from the start, the Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through is a joy to ride. The step-through frame makes it easy to get onto the bike and that’s doubly true when hauling cargo around on the included rear rack. The Selle Royal Freeway gel saddle is much more luxurious than those featured on most value e-bikes and makes for a comfortable ride across many miles.

The design of the frame and swept back handlebars make for a comfortable upright posture that brings decades of European design sensibilities to the world of e-bikes. Riding in an upright position makes for far less strain on the lower back and provides better visibility of the surrounding area when riding.

The saddle height has a ton of flexibility, supporting riders from 5’0″ to 6’2″ and while I’m at the upper end of that spectrum, I found the 700 Series very comfortable. We’re used to adjusting the seat on the fly, but the 700 Series also sports an adjustable stem up front that allows it to be quickly adjusted from 0-60 degrees with a single allen key.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

On the way down the steep hills leading to the beach, the dual piston hydraulic Tektro disc brakes provided a nice firm grip on even the steepest descents. Up front, the Mozo hydraulic suspension fork provides 100mm of travel to absorb any larger bumps on the road and for brief stints off-road. The first 5 miles of our route are downhill, providing plenty of opportunities to test out the stopping power on a variety of slopes and the brakes on the 700 Series were solid.

Tires also play a key role in stopping and the 27.5″ x 2.4″ Schwalbe Super Moto X tires were more than up to the task. These beefcake tires provide a nice blend of traction with their hatched pattern, low rolling resistance with their sleek profile, and volume, with a 2.4″ diameter that make for a comfortable ride.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Compared to most e-bikes, Ride1Up ships the 700 Series Step-Through in a box that’s about 25% smaller. From an emissions and cost perspective, that’s fantastic as it is easier to ship and wastes less packaging. Why pay more to ship a larger box when that adds no long term value to the bike? That efficiency comes at a cost though, as it means the bike comes in more parts thus requiring more assembly.

A typical e-bike takes from 30-60 minutes to assemble depending on individual aptitude. I assemble and disassemble a ton of e-bikes and they typically take me around 20-30 minutes. The Series 700 Step-Through took me just over an hour to assemble and not that I’m comparing, but that’s spot on with Ride1Up’s assessment. The company ships the bike 85% assembled and expects it to take 1-2 hours to assemble.

I recommend having this bike shipped to a local bike shop for assembly unless you’re extremely familiar with bikes. It’s not that it’s over complicated, but in my experience, the quality of the assembly of the bike has a direct impact on the number of squeaks, rattles, and issues you’ll experience over the life of the bike.

Ride1Up 700 Series Step-Through e-bike

The real power of e-bikes is the electric powertrain and the Ride1Up 700 Series packs a punch. It boasts a 750-watt Shengyi geared hub motor (500 watt nominal, 880 watt peak output) that strikes an impressive balance between power and range. On our test route, it was equally comfortable blasting down hills, powering through the flats, and cranking up steep ascents.

Ride1Up says the 700 Series is capable of going 30-50 miles per charge and that feels like a very fair rating based on our testing. We ran our 20-mile test route starting with a full charge and came back with about 2/3rds of a charge left. As with any electric vehicle, actual range per charge will vary depending on how much you’re leaning on the battery with pedal assist and/or throttle, the terrain, temperature, and weight being hauled around.

Pedal assistance is metered out based on input from the cadence sensor that lives down on the crankshaft. It monitors how fast the pedals are moving around and calls on the motor for a corresponding amount of power.

We tested the step-through version of the 700 Series, but it is also available with a standard triangle frame called the XR for those who prefer that frame style. Both can be purchased directly from Ride1Up on its website for $1,595.

Specs

  • Range: 30-50 miles per charge
  • Motor: 48V Geared Hub Shengyi Motor, 28mph (nominal rating of 500w)
  • Battery: 48V14ah Reention Rhino, 52x Samsung 35E Cells, Smart BMS
  • Sensor: Integrated Sensitive Cadence Sensor PAS
  • Throttle: Left side Thumb Throttle
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano Acera RD-M3000
  • Shifter: Shimano Acera 8 speed trigger shifter
  • Cassette: 11-30T Shimano Cassette
  • Fork: Mozo Hydraulic Lockout, 100mm Suspension Travel
  • Tires: Schwalbe Super Moto X 27.5×2.4 (584-60) tire
  • Saddle: Selle Royal Freeway Plush Gel
  • Brakes: Tektro Dual Piston Hydraulic Brakes w/ Electric Cut-Off Sensor
  • Stem: Promax Adjustable 0-60° 60mm 31.8mm Bar Clamp
  • Bike Capacity: 275 pounds
  • Rear Rack: 50 pound rated loading weight with pannier side mounts
  • Bike Weight: (with rack and fenders) 62 pounds
  • Rider Height Range: 5’0″-6’2″

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Kyle Field

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

Kyle Field has 1653 posts and counting. See all posts by Kyle Field